Wrench



March 5, 19 46. w, Q BILES 2,395,988

WRENCH Filed Dec ,10, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a mmlll f INVE NTOR v ATTORNEY March 5, 1946. W, ILE; 2,395,933

' WRENCH Filed Dec. 10, 1945 2 Sheets -S h eet 2 INVENTOR 14 4; TEE C 5/4 EJ ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 5, 1946 UNITED 1 STATE 5, PATENT. O F 1 wRENcn Walter C. Biles, Bremerton, Wash.

Application December 1 0,1943, Serial No. 513,679

2 Claims. (01. iii- 51.3

wrench is well adapted to various other uses and is not to be limited to that above mentioned. In order to impart a better understanding of the objects of the present invention and its need, it will here be explained that, in ship construction, and especially inthe electrical installations of war ships, there are innumerable banks or panels of stuffing tubes through which circuit conduits or cables, are passed. It is common to have a plurality of rows ofsuch tubes, of various size, closely arranged at a place where they pass'through a plate 'or bulkhead, and each tube is fitted at its end witha packing nut through which the cable extends. Due to the particular arrangement of tubes and the cables leading thereto, it is exceedingly difiicult, with the ordinary types of wrenches, to reach the packing nuts, let alone turning them. Furthermore, it frequently is the case that some of the-tubes are shorter, or extend beyond the others, thus adding to the difliculty in reaching the nuts which are applied to those which are shorter, or to turn a nut even though the jaws of the wrench may be applied thereto. 7 r

Due to these above conditions, much time'is lost and .much annoyance results from theattempte'd use of ordinary types of wrenches, and even special wrenches for this purpose have not been used with any particular degree of satisfaction due to the closeness of cables leading to thetubes and irregularity in lengths and sizes of tubes or due to their being located in close corners or set down within housings that prevent application or use of any ordinary wrench.

In view of the foregoing, it has been an object of thisinvention to providea wrench of special design that is adapted foran easier application between the cables extending from closely, arranged tubes, and which can befunctionally applied to a packing nut regardless of the fact that the cable enters the tube through the nut It is also an object of the invention to provide a wrench that can readily and easily be adjusted to fit nutsof a wide. range of sizes.

, Still another object resides in the provisionof a' wrench comprising a pair of pivotallyjoined jaws, wherein a pivot bolt, providing connection be applied to pivot openings in the other at various positions, as a means of determining the working angleof the jaw handles with respect to the gripping plane of the jaws.

*More specifically stated, the objects of the in vention reside in the provision of a wrench where in the jaws are offset laterally from the opening and closing plane of the jaw handles, and also lie in a plane thatis at a right angle thereto, and wherein the jaws have a specialshapethat adapts them to be applied tonuts in close quarters and permits them to be turned without interference by closely arrangedtubes and cables.

Other objects of the invention reside in the specific shape of parts and in their relationship,

their combination and mode of use, as will hereinafter be fully described.

' larly showing the lateral offsetting of In accomplishing these and other objects of the, invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

wherein: -'Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing abank orpadof tubes, and illustrating the operation ofa wrench, embodied by the present invention, to

a nut.

Fig. 2 is a' side view of a wrench of the present invention in its most commoniconstruction.

Fig. 3 is an under side view of the same. Fig. 4 is an end view of the wrench, particuthe jaws from the plane of the jaw handles.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a wrenchof a modified or alternative-form'of design.

Fig.6 is an enlarged sectional view showing thepivot bolt details,'whereby the jaw handles,

are held functionally together.

Fig. 7 is a view illustrating another adjustment of the wrench.

Referring more in detail to the drawings: Firstdescribing the wrench illustrated in Figs.

. 2, 3 and'4: This wrench comprises the two hanbetween the jaws, is fixed in: one jaw and may 5 dies, or lever arms, I' and 2, each of which is in the formof a straight, flattened bar, of substan-- tial' length and formed at its outer end with a rounded hand hold or gripping portion 3. 'At their inner ends, the lever arms are formed with the nut: gripping jaw portions which later will be described in detail. 1

, One of the lever arms, here designated by numeral l, is formed at its inner end with an enlarged head portion .4, and this lies in the same plane as'themain shank of the lever, but depends therefromsubstantially below the lever, as it is shown in Fig. 2, thus'forming a flat body portion of substantial width and depth, and at the forward lower edge of this is formed the inner nut gripping jaw 5. The fiat head portion 4 lies flatly against a flat side of the shank portion of lever 2, with the latter extended beyond the head 4 and there formed with a nut gripping jaw 6 that is in opposed relationship to the jaw on lever I.

Extending through the depending head portion 4 and lever 2 is a pivot bolt 1 whereby the lever arms are pivotally joined. This bolt, fixed on lever I, extends to one side of the lever and ase portion thereof that is adapted to be selectively applied to any one of a plurality of holes 8 that are formed through the lever arm 2 along its length between the grippin portion 3 and the jaw portion. I I, g

The pivot bolt 1, as illustrated best Fig. 6, has a squared portion I intermediate its ends; that fits in a similarly shaped hole I I in the head portion of the lever I to keep the bolt from turning therein; Adjacent this squared portion II), the bolt is formed with a shoulder I2, and beyond the shoulder, the shank of the bolt is threaded as at I3. This threaded end portion of the shank isappliedthrough the hole I I and beyond the face of lever I and is then secured by a nut I 4 thread-" ed thereonto that draws the shoulder I2 down tightly against the face of the lever and locks the squared section It in the hole II. The end por tionof the pivot bolt that is opposite the threaded end is round, and this part is applicable to any one of the holes 8 in the lever 2 to form the pivotal connection between levers, and there is a key or pin I-5 through the outer end portion of this rounded portion of the pivot bolt which retains the boltfrom slipping out from the hole to which it has been applied.

In o-rder that the levers may be easily and quickly disconnected when an adjustment of the jaws is to be made for the purpose of adapting the wrench to a larger or smaller nut, each or the holes 8 is formed, at diametrically opposite sides, with keyways I6, and it is possible, by the opening apart of the handles beyond the usual working position,- to register the ends of the locking key-I5 with the slots or keyways I6 so that the pivot bolt may be unseated from the pivot opening. In ordinary use of the device; the key or pin I5' retains the levers in their assembled, functional relationship: The holes 8 are relatively close together and thus provide for quite anaccurate adjustment for any size nut wit-hinthe range of sizes provided for.

It is to be n'otedby reference to Fig. 2 that the head portion 4 of the lever I is formed with a series of square holes I I' that are formed therein along a line which is at a right angle to the longi: tudinal direction of the lever. These holes are so arranged that by placing the pivot bolt 1 in the lower one of them, th lever arms, when closed together, and the jaws applied to a nut for turning it; will extend at aright angle to the axis of the nut. By applying the pivot bolt I in a hole II' that is higher up in the row in the head, will locate the jaw 5 somewhat below the jaw, 8, and

then whenthe jaws are functionally applied to a nut; it will place the levers in an upwardly di rected angle relative to the plane of the nut. This upwardly directed position of the handles is de= sirable when the jaws have to be applied to a nut that is set down between rows of tubes "or closely adjacent a housing wall as it throws them out of the way of the adjacent tubes; The as: justment above referred 'to is illustrated in Fig.7, which shows the pivot bolt I as appliedto the upper one of the row of squared holes II. The shape of the jaws of the wrench and their relationship to the plane of the lever arms, is an important part of this invention. Referring to Fig. 5, it will be understood that the jaws 5 and. 6 extend laterally to one side of the plane of the levers. The jaw 5, which is integral with the head portion 4 of lever I, has its nut gripping face set slightly forward of the vertical edge of the head, as seen in Fig. 2, and it is laterally offset fror'ii the plane of the hefad portion 4. The gripping surface is of substantial width and height, and lies in a plane that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the lever arm.

The jaw 6, which is formed at the forward end 01 lever arm 2, curves laterally and downwaraiy fidfii the forward end of the lever to be directly disposed to the gripping surface of jaw 5 when the parts are in position as shown in Fig. 2. The gripping surfaces are knurled for better holding eifectt With the jaws offset froiiithe plane of the levers, their ap ucatmn to a iiiit will locate the lever arfns out of the way 6: cable passing through the nut.-

It, is an important feature of co'n'structin disc that the 'nose' of theijaw Gdsio'un'dd "01? as at and 40 in Fig. 3 airdthat the nose of jaw 5 is rounded on asat M, to facilitate turning the wrench in close quarters also that the jaw ends be rounded as at 42 and4t for working close quarters. v

In Fig: 5, I- have shwn a w'fehoh ofan alter native design, but for the uses that wrench already'describe'd-.- The laws and i'fioc l' of connecting the levers is the sarii but the lever arms are turned upwardly t6 9. use that stahtially parallel to the sins or the to which the wrench jaws are to be applied; wreiiel'i is more especially designed fr use; where it is r'e'guigd to reach sewn t'itw'fi tubes t6 apply a nu Wrenches of this kind are being used great success in the ship building creamy and have pr'oven to be more desirable rat the particular use-herein stated that any wreath previously eni= ployedfor this pur""e.- they may be made various sizes, according t6 any particular and the shape of j "Salter-ed as required for any special r'edu ii' at,

' Having thus described my invention, i claim as new therein and desireto secure by Letters Patent isi i -1.'A w'r or tfietnai-actef dseri'bed corn: prising a pair or sent ments-i handle fanning lever's', a pivst' bolt jam-mg end portions or the leverswith eitiided teytna the other: each lever being rented at its pivoted end with a iat= eral-ly unset and downwardly dire ted jaw form ing p rtiqn fi} gripping an dbject between them; one of said levers having a series or holes therein n line that is tran verse to the iciigitadiaai lineof the lever and adapted to selective'l eceive said pivot bolt to change he angle of app cation of the wrench to an object, andthe other of said levers liaving'a succession Q'f holes receive the pfyot bolt to adapt the jaws to grip" objects of differ fit s ze, l

2. A wrench or the characte described coiii= pris ngtyv eompmmentm handle forming levers, a pivotrbolt j oi'riing' theouter end portions "of the ir' js with theehd iioitio'fi or cue estate's beyond the end of the other and mind it rally arid d w'nwarcl'y and fiirni'in'ga gripping jaw that and attendees at a r ght angle is the diiefiifi a series of holes therealong to receive the pivot bolt, the other lever being formed at its pivoted end with a flattened head portion with a series of holes formed therein in a line at a right angle to the direction of the handle to which the pivot bolt may be selectively applied, and having a a jaw forming portion at the lower edge of the said head portion, extended at a right angle theretoand in opposed relationship to the first mentioned jaw; said jaws having their end portions rounded oil for clearance in turning an object,

and having their under surfaces rounded upwardly and away from the gripping surfaces. WALTER C. BILES. 

